When one thinks of lifeguards, they think of the individuals who supervise the safety of people at the beach or pool. For women’s water polo junior Holly Maine, lifeguarding helped lead her to a sport that she has been incredibly successful in. US Surf Lifesaving Competitions combine Maine’s love for the ocean and passion for competition. Maine is a 13-time National Champion in US Surf Livesaving competitions and looks to continue to add to her trophy case.

Maine was introduced to lifesaving competitions through a club water polo coach. Similarly to track and field, individuals can compete in several different events. These events include running, swimming, paddling, surf ski and dory boat. There are also events that combine multiple disciplines into one race. Maine specializes in paddling and the Iron Women event. The Iron Women includes surf ski, paddling and swimming.

Although the sport does not have a big following in the US, competitions are huge in Australia and New Zealand. In the States, an individual typically has to be a lifeguard or junior lifeguard to compete. At the junior level, lifeguards in LA County try out to compete at regionals. If an athlete does well at regionals, they move onto nationals. Rather than representing a team or club, competitors represent the beach they work for. Maine represents LA County lifeguards while competing in the US. Zuma Beach in Malibu is the specific beach she worked as a junior lifeguard and now works as an ocean lifeguard.

Maine’s first National Championship win was in 2013 when she placed first in the Board Paddle. She has had a national championship every year since with the exception of 2018. In 2014, she was selected to her first Youth National Team and had the opportunity to travel to France. She earned a spot on the national team the next three years and travelled to Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

“The first time I went out of the country to compete I was 14. It’s not something you really do at that age,” shared Maine. “I was in France racing against 18-year olds. I’m the youngest competitor in the history of lifesaving to compete on a National Team for the US. For me to just go across the country, meet people from around the world and compete against them and they are doing the same thing as me, I thought that was really crazy.”

Maine found that playing water polo provided the perfect cross training for livesaving competitions and vice versa. 

“The aggression in water polo and paddling are very similar. The ocean swim is also very aggressive. It looks pretty to watch but when you’re going around a buoy, it’s like getting elbowed in the face and pulled backwards.”

It’s no surprise that someone with a love for the ocean chose to go to UC San Diego. She remembers looking at a campus map with her dad, searching for the dorm closest to the beach. The communications major from John Muir College takes full advantage of living close to the beach and paddleboards any chance she gets.

COVID put a damper on her competition plans for 2020. Maine was selected to her first US Open National Team (Over 18). The championship, which was to be held in Japan in June, was postponed due to the ongoing health crisis.

Maine remains as motivated as ever to continue lifesaving competitions. Her future goals include making another Open National Team and getting to opportunity compete in the competition. She also wants to win another US National Open Championship as most of her success has come from the junior level and she wants to prove she can compete with the best of the best. Until then, there’s no doubt Maine won’t be too far from the ocean.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I.  The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide more than 1,300 scholar-athletes to All-America honors.  A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.